BOSTON — Postmenopausal women with obesity who adhered to a Paleolithic-type diet for 2 years saw a changes in specific fatty acid levels linked to improved insulin resistance vs. women on a standard low-fat diet, according to study findings presented here.

“We found that fatty acids associated with insulin resistance are more decreased in the Paleolithic-type diet compared to the control diet ... improving a person’s metabolic profile,” Caroline Blomquist, a PhD student in the department of public health and clinical medicine at Umea University in Umea, Sweden, told Endocrine Today. “Hopefully this will decrease the risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease in the future.”

Caroline Blomquist

Blomquist and colleagues analyzed data from 70 postmenopausal women with obesity (mean BMI 32.6 kg/m2) randomly assigned to either an ad libitum Paleolithic-type diet (consuming 30% of total energy in protein, 30% in carbohydrates and 40% in fats with high unsaturated fatty acid content), or a low-fat control diet that called for consuming 15% of total energy in protein, 55% in carbohydrates and 30% fat for 24 months. Participants kept 4-day food diaries; researchers measured food intake and physical activity, fatty acid composition, lipid levels and insulin resistance at baseline, 6 and 24 months. Both groups also participated in 12 group sessions led by a dietician over the course of the study.

“If you look at the enzyme activities, you can see they’re more decreased in the Paleolithic-type diet, and these enzymes are related to insulin resistance, and that improves metabolic status even more,” Blomquist told Endocrine Today. “I would like to see how this diet will work on people with type 2 diabetes.” – by Regina Schaffer

BOSTON — Postmenopausal women with obesity who adhered to a Paleolithic-type diet for 2 years saw a changes in specific fatty acid levels linked to improved insulin resistance vs. women on a standard low-fat diet, according to study findings presented here.

“We found that fatty acids associated with insulin resistance are more decreased in the Paleolithic-type diet compared to the control diet ... improving a person’s metabolic profile,” Caroline Blomquist, a PhD student in the department of public health and clinical medicine at Umea University in Umea, Sweden, told Endocrine Today. “Hopefully this will decrease the risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease in the future.”

Caroline Blomquist

Blomquist and colleagues analyzed data from 70 postmenopausal women with obesity (mean BMI 32.6 kg/m2) randomly assigned to either an ad libitum Paleolithic-type diet (consuming 30% of total energy in protein, 30% in carbohydrates and 40% in fats with high unsaturated fatty acid content), or a low-fat control diet that called for consuming 15% of total energy in protein, 55% in carbohydrates and 30% fat for 24 months. Participants kept 4-day food diaries; researchers measured food intake and physical activity, fatty acid composition, lipid levels and insulin resistance at baseline, 6 and 24 months. Both groups also participated in 12 group sessions led by a dietician over the course of the study.

“If you look at the enzyme activities, you can see they’re more decreased in the Paleolithic-type diet, and these enzymes are related to insulin resistance, and that improves metabolic status even more,” Blomquist told Endocrine Today. “I would like to see how this diet will work on people with type 2 diabetes.” – by Regina Schaffer